Brothers in Arms
by UndertheApfelBaum
Summary: Formerly 'Tears and Friendship' Reever suffers a tragedy in his family, and Komui tries to comfort him. Shounen-ai
1. Chapter 1

Taking a break from my other story, I somehow found inspiration to write this...no idea where it came from. It's my first ever consideration of this pairing, so excuse it if it's terrible...We shall see.

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Komui hummed happily as he skipped along the corridor, neglecting to care for the papers that were falling from the pile in his hands. Linalee had just returned safely from a mission, and it didn't look like she would be sent away any time soon-at least, not if he could help it. He was so caught up in his daydreams that he failed to notice the open door and figure inside, bounding past it before stopping, frozen in place as the image processed in his mind.

Dropping the paperwork where he stood, he abruptly turned and began to walk silently back the way he came, peering around the doorway with a delicate sense of caution. Confirming what he thought he had seen, his brows furrowed in concern.

Reever was stood in the centre of the room, one hand clutching a letter and the other over his eyes, quivering violently and hiding his expression. A half-empty bottle of sake stood on the desk, and, on closer inspection, he could see that the letter had been read several times, creases visible in the paper, and damp patches which could only have been tears staining the ink.

Komui entered the room carefully, closing the door gently behind him and coughing lightly, waiting for his friend to respond. Reever did nothing, seemingly unaware of his presence, and only when Komui placed a comforting hand on his shoulder did he react, suddenly drawing close to him and burying his head in his shoulder, still completely hiding his face. Komui hesitated before putting his arms around him, unsure of how to react.

Reever had always been so strong. Staying by his side, he had always been there to lecture him, sighing with disdain when he neglected his duties or paperwork and picking up the pieces when doing so led to disaster. And yet, here he was, a broken man with no shred of the sensibility that usually surrounded him. Komui opened his mouth hesitantly as the shoulders beneath him began to shake.

"...Can I ask?" he began, and Reever nodded into his coat, taking deep breaths in order to calm down enough to talk.

"It's my-my brother," he said, voice so hoarse that it felt like a stranger's. Komui remembered the stories Reever told of his past, and how, whenever his brother had been mentioned, his eyes had gained a new light, and he talked with an enthusiasm reserved only for that topic. They had been incredibly close, and even when Reever had come to Headquarters, they had battled through every rule at Central until they were allowed to communicate, "He-Last week-there was-train accident-he didn't...didn't survive...I-I-" he broke off, unable to continue, and Komui let out a small gasp, quickly leading him to his bed so that he could sit down. Keeping his arm around him, Komui said nothing, cursing the fact that anything he could think of to say would be completely useless. He felt pathetic-he had spent almost all of his career within the order depending on Reever, and had never been failed by him, but the first time that he needed something back, he could do nothing. Maybe Kanda had been right two days ago, during one of his 'angry moments'-he was only good for babble and idiocy.

Reever leant into him, desperate not to let Komui see him cry, and the head of the science department looked down upon his faithful colleague sadly, wishing for the right words. His mind was still searching as Reever's sobs began to subside and breathing slowed, and it was only when he fell into his lap that Komui noticed he had fallen asleep. Komui smiled sadly before laying him down on the bed, finding himself dragged down too and realising that at some point Reever must have grabbed hold of his shirt, and was now clinging to it desperately, as though his life depended on it. Komui sighed before making himself comfortable-he didn't want to risk waking him up by prising himself free, and found, to his surprise, that he wasn't that eager to leave him.

Komui drifted off slowly, watching the sleeping face of his friend with concern. Even in his sleep, he was frowning, forehead creased, and his closed eyes sparkled around the edges, glistening with tears unshed. And yet, despite all of this, Komui found himself fascinated by his features, drawn in and wanting to wipe the damp from his eyes...Komui shook himself vigorously, before closing his own eyes, not wanting to have any more thoughts that were forming _purely_ out of concern for his friend.

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Sorry, it's short *winces* My first chapters always are...Seeing as this technically could be left as it is, and I was unsure about it anyway, I think I'll only continue with this if I get ten reviews, all of which asking for another chapter. I might be being to demanding, but I'm iffy with it myself, so, yeah. Again, criticism is always welcome-I couldn't survive without it!!

Thanks

*-Amaya-*


	2. Chapter 2

This took me an entire day to type up? Why? Because I hate typing. So review, please, for my efforts and another chapter! I won't write one otherwise *everyone breathes a sigh of relief* ...che.

**Disclaimer: I own a -man pencil case, and that doesn't even have any of the mentioned characters on it. So, you work it out ;)**

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Reever woke slowly, numbed from sleep and blushing slightly as he felt the damp grazing his cheeks from the pillow. He sighed, the news of the previous day sinking in, and opened his eyes blearily, thankful that no one had been there to see him in such a shameful state.

_Wait._

Reever followed the line of his arms and hands to trace the material they were clutching, and his worst fears were confirmed as his gaze drifted upward to locate the coat's owner, lying opposite him, and dangerously close. Komui was still sleeping, his unremoved glasses sticking out from his face at an odd angle, their edge pressing into the pillow, and beret beginning to tip backwards off his head. His brows were creased into a frown, and it looked as though he had only recently managed to sleep, his features still twitching infrequently. Reever stared at the sleeping face of his supervisor, wide eyed with shock, and his face began to burn a strange shade of tomato as the memory of last night flowed steadily back to his tired mind.

OhGodPleaseNoHowCouldILetHimSeeThat!?!? A flurry of words fought to be heard in his min, and he quickly jerked his hands away from the coat as the other man's eyelids began to flicker, quickly rolling over and burying himself in the sheets in an attempt to hide his blushing face.

Komui opened his eyes, quickly getting past the confusion of being in an unfamiliar room, his face gaining a barely noticeable pink tinge as he recalled his final thoughts before sleeping. Reever was facing away from him, but the visible tips of his ears were glowing red, and Komui assumed that he was ashamed of himself for being 'weak' the night before. He sighed inaudibly, knowing that it would be almost impossible to convince the scientist that his emotions were anything other than pathetic, but still feeling compelled to try and let him know that it was alright to grieve. He stared at his back for a while, a dazed yet sympathetic look in his eyes, before deciding that the best course of action would be to act normal and sitting up, stretching and looking down at his friend.

"Morning, Reever!" he chirped, ruffling the man's hair playfully, "I trust you're feeling better now? We've got mountains of work to catch up on…" he smiled as he turned back over, the blush fading slightly from the man's cheeks, and Reever regarded his supervisor with a friendly suspicion, wondering if he was acting purposefully bright for his sake. He sat up as well, a smile forming naturally on his lips, but freezing in its tracks as he noticed the letter, crumpled and lying on his desk. He stared at it, unmoving, and Komui laid a concerned hand on his shoulder, which, for some reason, made him jump and prevented his once fading blush from vanishing any further.

"Are you going to be OK?" Komui's voice hinted that if he asked, he would be able to take the day off, and, feeling the sting in his eyes, Reever was tempted to take the offer. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly changed his mind, realising that keeping his mind busy with work might be the best medicine, and forced a smile.

"Of course," he said, his voice weak and hoarse, before taking a deep breath and standing up, "Show me to a mountain."

* * *

Komui sat at his desk, almost completely buried in the paper surrounding it and cursing that Linali had chosen that day to keep him locked in his office until all of his work had been completed. After being returned to his seat following his 27th attempt at escaping, he almost held enough bitterness to glare at his sister as she poured him coffee. Almost, but not quite, so he settled for pouting. Linali rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Honestly, 'Niisan, what's gotten into you today?" she asked exasperatedly, "You're never normally _this_ bad…" Komui blinked at her, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She had a point. He wasn't normally this bad, especially when she asked him so nicely, and provided him with a constant supply of coffee. So why was he so desperate to leave?

_To make sure your friend is alright_ his mind pointed out, and he nodded to himself, reassured. That was sensible, wasn't it? And it seemed about right. But, Reever probably wouldn't appreciate that kind of mollycoddling, and he was almost definitely in the presence of Johnny, who would be of some comfort, at least. Not to mention that at this rate, if he settled down and actually did the work, he could probably get out and see him much faster. So, why was it that he felt like if he didn't see him at _that very moment_, he would have a panic attack? Komui's brow furrowed in confusion. This wasn't normal, was it? This need to be sure; to comfort; to embrace…

_Woah there._ He hadn't meant that, not at all. It was just a Freudian slip…wait, not Freudian, that would mean he really did mean it…the coffee must be getting to his head. That and being stuck in this wretched office for however many hours. Oh! And that could explain his need to see Reever, too. A combination of concern, procrastination and caffeine would be enough to make any man desperate.

"…Niisan?" Komui blinked toward his sister, who was regarding him with a strange and curious expression, and then looked down at his hands to see that he had been illustrating his thoughts with hand gestures. Coughing slightly, he began to sift through a pile of papers, beaming as he found something that would give him the excuse he needed.

* * *

Reever stared at the screen in front of him numbly, unaware that he had been doing so for what ws nearing two hours now, and that both Didi and Johnny were regarding him with a mixture of fear and concern, after having tried calling him continuously and in crescendo for 15 minutes. His eyes were glazed over, lost in thought, and every so often he would slam his head into the table with such force a bruise was beginning to form, sighing in frustration.

He should be thinking about his brother. If he had to be unable to concentrate on work, the only viable excuse could be because of grief, and mourning the loss of his closest and most treasured friend and relative. And yet, every time his mind wandered, it didn't so much as graze that heavy topic, seeming to take a wrong turning along the way, instead showing him the image of Komui's sleeping face, and the kindness he had shown him the night before. What was worse was that these daydreams were making him happy. He felt like a traitor, taking pleasure in memories that had only occurred because of the death of his brother, and found himself unable to lift his head up to look back at his work, a mixture of guilt and confusion pinning him to the table.

That was the state in which Komui found him, and his supervisor instantly decided that it was a good thing that he came.

"He's been like this all morning…" Johnny told him uncertainly, "He doesn't even hear us if we try to talk to him…" Komui listened before nodding, a serious frown on his face, and striding purposefully up to Reever, slamming his hands on the table and leaning over so that his face was directly in front of the startled scientist's.

"Yo!" he said cheerily, completely contrasting with the expression on his face, "you aren't paid to stare at nothing, you know." He kept a mocking tone to his voice.

Reever blushed, taking a few seconds to register Komui's sudden closeness before jumping back suddenly in his chair, a heavy blush rising instantly to the roots of his hair. Komui tilted his head, confused, but then seemed to dismiss it as embarrassment at being caught not concentrating.

"Ah, yes, sorry ,sir." Reever mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Sir? That's unusual…Anyway, you need to sign this!" Komui enthusiastically shoved a piece of paper in his face, and he took it greatfully, glad to have something to focus on other than the face of the man who had caused his inner turmoil. He examined the form carefully, discovering it to be a year old invoice for a chemical order, and signed it with a sigh, knowing that it was practically useless now. Komui detected the meaning and pouted, emitting a quite whine.

"I know it's late, but I can't file it if the proper procedures haven't been completed…" he took the form back, pulling up a chair, "so, how are things?" the question was kept innocent and casual, but his back was to the others, and the piercing look of concern that only Reever could see in the other's eyes only served to make him blush even further, and he floundered for a reply, unable now to tear his gaze from the dark eyes of his supervisor.

"…'Niisan, I thought you had important business here…" Linali had a menacing tone to her voice, and Reever saw Komui gulp visibly.

"It was! And then, I thought, whilst I'm here, I might as well-"

"'Niisan…!" Komui sighed, standing up and allowing his sister to lead him out of the room, shooting one last concerned-and was that desperate?-glance towards his friend before leaving the room. Reever watched him go, uncertain as to why, despite his friend's care and concern, he felt much heavier, as though Komui had offered him poison, not support and comfort, and why the grip Linali had on her brother's arm as she escorted him induced just the slightest of twinges in his heart.

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I'll be honest: there was originally supposed to be more to this, I had a way to end the chapter that made much more progress than where we're at now, but it was getting too long. I know that isn't long, but it was 5 pages in my notebook and I don't think I was even half way through. So I thought I should see if people would want more before wasting what could have ended up being 3 days of solid typing...Yeah, I hate it that much...

Please, please, please review, even if it's just to say it was awful (though advice would be nice) or what you think of the new title (I'm hoping it's less lame?) 10 was too many, so I think I'll say 16, before I start updating again, now...that's not many, write a review and then pass it on, make other people do it too! Please?

*whimpers*


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